Brighter As We Fall
by SouthernBumpkin
Summary: Post 6x05 AU where everyone goes their separate paths. B/D/S triangle mixed with some NJ.
1. Chapter 1

**I decided to write a post 6x05 fic because I was unsatisfied with the direction GG had taken this season. So I gave Blair a brain, gave Dan a backbone, didn't make Serena pathetic, and gave Nate a storyline. If people are expecting this is specifically a DS or DB story, it's not. You will have to read equal amounts of them. Also, it will have some NJ as well. **

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**Dan**

_I'd rather be with no one then you_

He grabs her wrist before she can walk away. "Hold on, you're really going to say something like that after everything we've been through."

"You slept with Serena!"

"Because you left me for Chuck!" Dan looks at her incredulously. "If you had told me you loved me and then I left you for Serena, what would you have done? And don't bullshit me because you slept with Chuck the instant you and Nate broke up," Dan says clenching his jaw and meeting her eyes. "You're such a hypocrite." Dan scowled and the corner of his eyes crinkled. "I am so tired of you. All you've ever done is hurt me. So you win. I hate you, and I'm happy you're with Chuck because you deserve to be treated like shit."

Dan lets go of her wrist and turns his heels to leave the ballroom. He's done with Blair Waldorf. There was nothing left for him in the Upper East Side.

He goes back to Blair's penthouse and packs his things, throws his cellphone in the trash, and catches a cab to JFK airport.

After buying a ticket to the first flight to Los Angeles, he passes out in lobby of his gate, waiting for departure. It's become official, he's moving on from New York. His father isn't his role model anymore, the girl he loves more then life itself is callous towards him, and he's left alone to sulk. He can't think of a time where he felt more lonely.

After arriving in Los Angeles, he finds a shitty motel to stay at with the money he has left over. He's alone and still trying to figure out what to do. He looks around for work and gets a job as a server at the local cafe in West Hollywood. Writing was supposed to be his career, but he couldn't do it anymore. Everyone burned him and writing only reminded him of that. College is an option, but he doesn't want to take out loans to pay for school.

One day, he's walking back to his motel after work and his eyes catch a shiny blue burst acoustic guitar placed behind the windowsill of the music store. His father taught him how to play, but his heart always lied in writing. He's thinking he made a mistake.

He buys the guitar and begins pouring his heart out into the musical poetry he's been writing down on his moleskin. Singing on lonely drunken nights makes him feel better than he has in a while. He discovers a new passion, one that fills the void of his passion for writing.

Soon, he begins going to bars and asking for gigs. With each gig, he only gains more confidence and word around the city spreads about a smooth curly haired hipster singing about lost love. Eventually, he begins getting gigs out of state and it leads him to plan a summer of traveling along the west coast while singing in a variety of bars and halls.

He doesn't have time for love and spends most of his time writing lyrics and musical notes. There are one night stands here and there, but only occur if someone from the audience actually catches his eye.

The biggest difference from the west coast and New York is that he can be driving on the road for miles and not spot a street lamp. The silence is something he's still becoming accustomed to. He recalls staying up to write in the office of the loft in Brooklyn and hearing the construction coming from outside his window.

The Pacific Northwest is exactly how he imagined it, cloudy with a high probability of rain. Now he understands why Seattle has the highest suicide rate. Of course Seattle can be pretty great as well. It has it's own charm. Boston's historical, Chicago's the place to be if your single, and New York's the trendiest, but Seattle is just Seattle. Nothing stands out about it, it's just a nice city with a little bit of everything.

One of the first thing he notices is the large Japanese population. Most of the residence of Seattle are the outdoorsy type. Before his gig at the _Showbox at the Market,_ he decides to go sight-seeing. He visits the guitar shop Jimi Hendrix bought his first guitar, but that got boring fast so he leaves and visits the EMP museum which is filled with exhibits of the Stones, Hendrix, and Nirvana. He realizes music is interesting, but it will never be as satisfying as writing.

After his experience in Seattle, he drives back through Oregon and realizes it's all woods. He had a gig in some cabin like bar and thought the whole town was stuffed into the cabin when he began playing. From his experience visiting small towns, he's learned that people are a lot more friendlier. They're just like him and have the same values, no one looks down on him for being from Brooklyn. They even dress like him, which is somewhat refreshing.

After his set's over, he gets a drink at the bar, and finds a group of kids his age. One of the guys wearing a plaid flannel with a beanie on the top of his head and he thinks the kid has good taste. The blonde girl seems to have interest in his love life while the others are more curious about Los Angeles and New York. It's weird that they ask for his autograph, but then again, they have more faith in his singing career than he does.

They ask him to join them on a trip to Mt. Hood. He's got nothing better to do for the weekend so he decides to join them. Lana's the blonde who's crushing on him, she's petite, but pretty and he finds it enlightening that she has brown eyes. Tori's the brunette, she seems the outdoor's type and kind of a jock, but that only hides her beauty. Craig's the guy who dresses like him and seems to be a mix between the snowboarding type and hippy. Jimmy on the other hand is the epitome of jock. He's good looking, but doesn't have a brain.

They drive up to Mt. Hood and he can't believe how beautiful it is. As they drive on the road, he can notice all the different colored tulips fully blossomed. They finally set camp by the 40 foot waterfall. They sit by the fire and hand him some shrooms. He realizes this night is about to get interesting. He's never taken shrooms, but Chuck once told him to make sure he's in a good mood before taking them.

"We're in the middle of the woods and it's pitch dark out here. This has got to be the stupidest idea in the world," Dan says before he begins chewing on his stem of the mushroom.

They laugh and he can't believe he's doing this.

He wishes they had mixed the shrooms into something because they taste like complete shit. After he finishes eating them, it takes him half an hour and he starts tripping. Once it hits him, he realizes they should've been playing Mario 64. He stands up and looks at the waterfall as he stands off the cliff and thinks the little droplets of water has to be the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. There really aren't any hallucinations, it's more of an alteration of perception. The trip lasts for about 4 hours and he ends the night by having sex with Lana one of the tents.

The weekend passes and he has to say goodbye. He promises to send them a CD if he ever gets a record label and then leaves for the road, heading for his next show.

Summer ends and it's time for him to head back to California. He rents out a one bedroom apartment in West Hollywood and runs into Olivia while shopping with one of his friends in Rodeo Drive. They catch up, he's got nothing to lose so he asks her out.

They begin dating and he enters a new world. The Hollywood scene is a lot different from the Upper East Side. No one is really friends, just mere acquaintances who like to have fun. There's people like him who somehow get in with the hollywood circles and there are some just trying to claim their five minutes of fame, while the rest are trying to figure out how to spend their next paycheck.

He thought the UES was crazy, but it compares nothing to this. The amount of drugs consumed on a daily basis is something he has never witnessed. Even Chuck Bass would be shaking his head to what he has been witnessing.

Olivia has a lot of links and eventually lands him a manager. A month passes and he receives a call from an record label.

The record label changes his life, he's still not making as much money as he did with writing, but it was enough to live comfortably like his father had. If there was one thing he learned from his past experiences, money's the last thing he wants to be around.

**Serena**

The video's been released and Blair's yelling at her again. Serena thought she had explained herself thoroughly and concisely, but it seems Blair is ignoring her reasoning.

"I don't know how many times I have to point this out, but you love Chuck, so why does it matter," Serena asks

"Because you were clearly trying to hurt me," Blair yells

"Yes, I was, because you dated someone I love and obviously didn't care about him even though you told me you did. I have the right to hurt you. So I don't see why you're so hurt about this. Me sleeping with Dan shouldn't matter, you're with Chuck."

Blair's mouth opens and closes a few times and it seems as though the conversation is just going full circle. Blair's clearly insane and she's tired of the brunette's immaturity.

"You have two options here. Either you actually cared for Dan and I hurt you, or you love Chuck and didn't care about Dan, which means me sleeping with him doesn't matter and we're even," Serena says. "So again, what's the problem here?"

Blair takes a deep breath and looks to be gathering her thoughts. Her eyes were all over the place.

"I have to go," Blair replies her and walks away leaving Serena to shake her head.

_Fuck this Bitch_

Serena reaches her mother's penthouse and wonders what her life has become. Was she really preparing to say yes to Steven's proposal? She just spent the past summer growing, learning from her mistakes, and escaping these nutjobs, but for some reason, she's letting the Upper East Side drag her down with them.

She knows who she is. She's a free bird who doesn't play by the rules. Her life isn't supposed to be structured.

_So what does Serena Van Der Woodsen want to be?_

Modeling is the answer to all of her questions. She gets paid way more then she should and has free time to travel, party, and meet new people. She can model in New York and be paid in thousands for the hours she puts in for a day, or she can leave the country and go to some photoshoot in an exotic location.

Yes, modeling was so her.

It's been months since she's heard from Blair or Dan, and to be honest, they've been peaceful. She's still trying to get over Dan, the boy who's mourning over the loss of Blair Waldorf. If she wants to find herself, she needs to stay away from men. She's only 22 and there is so much more she needs to experience before she even thinks of settling down.

Her mother's miserable, she can see the marriage waning on her mother's eyes. Leaving Rufus was something her mother would always regret but would never to admit to it.

Her brother comes back during winter break and she couldn't be more excited. Eric's hair's darker, he has a slight five O'clock shadow that makes him look older, but he's the same old Eric. Of course he asks for Dan, and is disappointed when she tells him she doesn't know where he is. No one knows where Dan went. She even went to the loft to ask Rufus, but Rufus hasn't heard from him either.

Dan Humphrey has disappeared off the face of this earth

**Blair**

_We can't be together_

It's happening again, it's like she's in some sort of cycle. She can't even see a hint of happiness coming from the love of her life. Yes, he failed, but she succeeded. She put in hours and hours so they can get engaged.

She's crying, but Chuck's at the bar, drinking in his own misery, worrying about Bass Industries. Chuck has already contradicted himself. He told her in his limo after they found Serena that he would even give up his hotel for her, but here she is, waiting for him, and he can't be with her because of a stupid pact. A pact that includes the hotel he sold her for. Chuck lied, Bass Industries is more important then her.

_Is this what she wants?_

She rips the necklace off her neck and slams it onto the wooden bar next to Chuck.

"I'm done," Blair says

She walks off and doesn't look back

She's stuck running Waldorf Designs now. This is her future, even though she's horrible at it. It just means more hours for her and less of a social life. Now she knows why her mother was away all those years.

She leaves for Paris without a goodbye. Everyone can go fuck themselves in her eyes. The only thing on her mind is to have a strong financial quarter.

_Paris, me voici_**  
**

**Nate**

It's funny how everyone forgets about him. Everyone left without a goodbye after Bart took over Bass Industries and now everyone is leaving again without saying goodbye. He's dated many girls, but one way or the other, they've always hurt him.

Blair left Chuck and now he's gone A-wall. He's staying at the Empire alone and has no idea where Chuck has gone.

The Spectator failed miserably and he's become the laughing stock of the UES. He's alone and has to figure out a way to dig himself out of this hole. After mulling it over for weeks, he decides to go back to school and major in Law. It's time to go back to his family roots and get into politics.

_Columbia's waiting for him_

He hasn't heard from anyone and winter break passes. The second semester of Columbia is starting. He decides to live on campus so he can be closer to his classmates.

Columbia's fun, he likes being a kid again because at the end of the day, he still is. A 21 year old shouldn't be running a company, the only problem is that he had to fail for him to realize it.

His roommate's sort of a nerd. Well, he's actually confident he's a nerd. Paul Smith, tall and lanky, has probably never been laid, and breathes irregularly while studying. Getting Paul laid has become one of his goals for the semester.

After the first week, he realizes that he's been missing out. The parties are fun and everyone seems to like him. There's no drama in college, it just consists of studying and partying, not trying to take down the CEO of a Multinational firm.

After getting Paul a makeover, and giving him weeks of training, Paul finally gets laid. Of course the girl isn't the prettiest in the world, but it'll do, especially because Paul won't last 2 minutes.

He doesn't date, he only fucks because he can. It's just that simple, girls are all over him at parties.

_Some things never change_

People think he's dumb, but that can't be farther from the truth. He aces his spring semester and celebrates by throwing a huge bash at the Empire. Chuck isn't there, and neither is Serena, but he doesn't mind. It means less drama.

School's over and instead of doing an internship, he goes sailing for the summer.

Summer and Fall pass and he's sitting in his grandfather's mansion on the eve of Christmas when he receives a call from a number not listed in his contacts.

"Hello," Nate says knitting his brows together

"Hey, it's Dan."

He hasn't heard from Dan Humphrey since the Cotillion, but had seen pictures of him with Olivia in gossip magazines.

"What's up," Nate asks

"You should check up on Chuck, he might be dead," Dan says

"What! Where the hell are you," Nate yells

"Okay, so he's not dead. I had to catch a flight to Spain and I left him butt naked in the middle of the woods. He got pretty fucked up the previous night so you might want to check up on him."

Nate rubs his forehead with his fingers. "Dude."

"Yeah... So how's New York?"

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**So what do you think? Should I continue? **

*******Paris here I come- French Translation**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry for not writing Chuck a POV, but I find it too difficult to write. He had great potential in Season 1, but it went to waste and I don't know how to write him anymore. Besides, I hate him, lol. Also, Dan's POV is pretty crazy and graphic in this chapter, but this is the last chapter it will be like this.**

**Also, thank you guys for the reviews, they were quite delightful**

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**Dan**

He wakes up, glances across and finds Olivia on lying beside him on the bed with nothing but her duvet covering her bare skin. One of the perks dating Olivia is the gigantic mansion she owns on the hills. Everything here is decked out and it's going to be difficult for him to go back to his one bedroom apartment. Unfortunately, it's time for them to break up.

Olivia wakes up, they shower together and head for the local cafe. He wants to break up with her in public where the papparazzi will be watching them so she won't be able to cause a scene. The problem with their relationship is that they had already reached their apex when they dated in NYU, and from what he remembers, it wasn't that great. He's leaving for Spain tomorrow and has a schedule of shows set around Europe for the next two months by his manager. If he's going to be in Europe for the next two months, he prefers to be single.

They're in Starbucks and Olivia's staring at him with that million dollar dimpled smile. He's beginning to realize how fucked up this is.

"Are you happy," Dan asks hoping she says no

She reaches across the table and lays her hand on top of his. "Very."

He pulls his hand away and runs his it through his hair. After taking a deep breath, he meets her eyes and tilt his head while squinting his eyes. "Are you sure?"

Olivia chuckles. "Yes Dan."

Dan sighs. "Olivia, this isn't working for me. I think you were just kind of a rebound to be honest."

The last time they broke up, she handled it surprisingly well, but this time, her eyes are fuming. She's gripping onto his hand and it feels as though it is on the cusp of breaking. Thank god they're in public and he's leaving for Spain tomorrow.

"You little prick," Olivia hisses. "We just had sex in my shower."

"Come on, did you really think I was going to say no, I mean look at you," Dan tells her earning him a kick to his shin. He grimaces. "Okay, well this was fun." Dan slides off his chair and tosses some bills on the table before stepping out of Starbucks only to be photographed.

After breaking up with Olivia, he reaches his Melrose Place look-alike apartment complex. Opening his door to his crappy apartment, he finds Chuck Bass sitting on his old beaten down maroon couch. The first thing that comes to his mind is Blair's health.

"Is everything alright," Dan asks stepping into the small living room.

Chuck looks tired and his hair is unkempt. There bags under his eyes and looks like he smells.

"She's fine Humphrey, I'm the one that's dwindling," Chuck says.

Dan sighs and tosses his keys onto the wooden coffee table. It's his last night in Los Angeles and it looks as though he's going to be stuck listening to Chuck's problems.

"What the hell are you doing here Chuck?"

"Just looking for a good time."

A slight smirk forms on Dan's lips.

They start off smoking from Dan's stash. It's called AK47, he has no idea why, but it's a mindfuck. Chuck tells him he's here for investors and is planning to start up his own company. Blair dumped Chuck and left for France to run Waldorf Designs. Now he knows that's one part of Europe he's dreading to visit.

Chuck showers and cleans himself up before they leave for a friends. His manager hired a band for him and they've became his closest friends in Los Angeles.

"If you want to get laid, take the bowtie off," Dan tells Chuck as he leaves his bathroom dressed in a fine Armani suit.

If you want to look your best in the L.A. scene, then you have to wear a dress shirt, no tie or bowtie, unbuttoned collar, with a fashionable suit, and shiny dress shoes.

The sun's causing his eyes to squint as and his hair is blowing the wind from the open windows of his rusty old beat up 69 Ford Mustang. He glances across to the passenger seat and is surprised to find Chuck adjusting to well to this environment.

God does he ever love winter in California

As they drive to his friends, Chuck tells him he sent a P.I. for him because his father was becoming worried. He's not naive enough to think that was the only reason Chuck was here. It's clear Chuck needs a friend after what happened with Blair. In the end, he's the one who has to fix these people. He already helped Chuck when he found him getting beaten up in an alley, so he could understand why Chuck came to him.

They reach a small one story house in the middle of the suburbs. His band members are rooming together and the house is just a mess. There's a bed on the lawn and empty boxes of beer everywhere.

"It smells like ass," Chuck says looking disgusted as he enters the living room.

"Chuck, this is Billy," Dan points to Billy who is playing Mario Kart against Derek. "And that's Derek."

Billy Anderson, short, bald, and his some Irish tattoo's on his arm. He's not the best looking guy in the world, but when are drummers supposed to be good looking. Derek Baker on the other hand was pretty good with women. He has dirty blonde hair that falls to his ears and eyebrows. His blue eyes can themselves can get him laid and he pulls off the scruffy light beard well. Derek did a good job covering up his weak guitar skills with the bass. Sometimes people forget how important the bassist actually is.

"Guys, this is Chuck Bass, he's a billionare who typically pays for sex," Dan says with a smirk.

Derek smiles. "Right on."

Derek has a skater mixed in with hippy look to him, he just seems like the typical Californian while Billy's a pure hipster.

"Chucky here wants to have a good time," Dan tells them

And it's a good time they have. He stands by the sidelines and watches Chuck snort a line of cocaine. There's a line that he'll never cross and that's taking something addictive. He knows everyone will probably think he's irresponsible for letting Chuck Bass get shitfaced, but Chuck's not a baby. He pulls out a thirty pack and watches Chuck's face srcunch. They drink and then he watches them do some more lines before heading out to the local strip club, something he knows Chuck will love.

As he stares at the woman stripping on stage, he wonders why guys find it so entertaining. She's getting paid to strip and it's something he will never find fun. Of course he's more of the romantic type. After Chuck receives his fair share of lap dances, they head out to the Foxtail, a exclusive nightclub that fits more of Chuck's standards.

Chuck starts drinking heavily and he follows, next thing he knows, everythings blurry and Chuck begins to tell about his troubles. Investors wasn't the reason for Chuck's visit. It seems little Chucky's in deep shit. He owes a large sum of money to the Chinese mafia.

He remembers a blonde, some scotch, and Chuck. After that, everything goes blank.

His eyes flutter open and he's in the middle of the woods with a pantless Chuck lying on the floor, next to a large tree. He checks his watch and finds out it's four in the morning and his flight's in a few hours. Chuck's pantless, but he's still wearing his collared shirt which can only mean one thing...Chuck just had sex.

He kicks Chuck a few times, but the pantless boy doesn't wake up. He notices a bra next on the floor and wonders where the girl is. After checking Chuck's pulse to make sure he's alive, he leaves him and starts trying to find his way out.

He has no idea how they got there. His pants were unbuttoned when he woke up and he decides to pretend it never happened.

It takes him over an hour to find his way out of the woods, by using his iphone, he's able to navigate way his through. He can't believe him and Chuck walked this deep into the woods.

He calls Derek and waits for him by the edge of the road. Derek's car pulls up and they're running late. They reach his apartment, he grabs his bags and guitar case.

They reach the airport just in the knick of time. He takes some sleeping pills and passes out in his flight to Madrid. After half a day passes, they reach Spain and it's just as sunny as California. It's mid 50's to 60's type weather.

They're staying in Madrid for a week. Tonight's their first show and their next one is on Sunday, meaning the have 5 days in between to do whatever they want. One thing he's heard is you can't visit Spain without visiting Ibiza. It's an island with one of the best night clubs in the world.

He sings, sleeps, wakes up at six in the morning, rents a car, and drives to Ibiza with his band members. It takes them a few hours before the reach the seaside of the Mediterranian Sea. The ferry to the island adds a few more hours to the trip.

They reach Ibaza Town and it looks alot like Greece. He notices that there are a lot of people his own age. Beaches don't do much for him anymore since he lives in California, but that's what seems to be the cities main attraction during the day.

He likes the sculptures of the buildings. It looks like a better version of Miami. The night life is the biggest attraction. After they find a hotel, they pre-game, he watches Derek and Billy pop a pill of Ecstacy and decides to join them for the ride. He's a virgin when it comes to these types of drugs, but he thinks what the hell, he's in Europe so why not make the trip a memorable one.

As they reach the nightclub, his minds racing and he's thinking at the speed of light. He looks left and right and finds women dancing in lingere on top of small stages. The DJ's in the front and he doesn't think music has ever sounded any better. He talks to more women that night then he had in his entire life. He can't stop dancing and talking. Ecstacy has blown his mind.

It's the next day and they leave the beautiful city of Ibaza for Madrid. Once they reach Spain, he sleeps, wakes up hours later and leaves for the Prado Museum alone. He spends most of the days left in Madrid alone, sight seeing and appreciating the art.

His time in Madrid's up. He catches a flight to Germany, plays in Berlin, goes to an underground tunnel holding a rave. His mind feels it's on the cusp of exploding from the different colored lights. Most of Berlin's a haze, he smokes and drinks, dabbles in some LSD and leaves for Frankfurt.

Goes to Frankfurt, spends most of his days high and plays in local bars and clubs. He spots a attractive girl while playing guitar, ends the night having sex in an alley. Then wakes up the next morning to get tested for STD's.

Frankfurt was pretty boring, he just spent most of his time clubbing and is happy it ends quickly. After Frankfort, they leave for Rome and he thinks god must hate him. He sings, but ends the night going back to his hotel Rome trying to forget the past.

_Rome's tainted_

He's catches a train to Florence because he hears Serena has a photoshoot there.

**Nate**

Whenever there is a time of need, he's the last person everyone counts on. It was more of Dan's forte, but Dan's gone now and he's the only person Chuck has left. Christmas is ruined, but at least Chuck's alive.

Dan summarized the situation for him and told him to take Chuck back to New York so that Bart could save his ass.

After a long flight, he arrives at the address Dan gave him. Chuck's open the door slowly, looking paranoid as ever in one of Dan's plaid flannel's.

"What the hell are you wearing," Nate asks laughing lightly as he steps into the apartment

"I'm trying to blend in," Chuck tells him

"You must be in a lot of trouble."

Chuck pushes the curtain aside slightly and looks out the window. "I made a bad investment and I don't have anything left."

"Dan told me."

"Of course he did."

Chuck tries to persuade him to leave for Taiwan with him, but he has school and he doesn't plan on dropping out, especially to run from the Chinese Mafia. He calls Bart and tells him everything, next thing he knows, there on the Bass Corporate Jet and flying back to New York with a sulking Chuck.

Eventually Chuck gives in to his father and he begins working under Bart, something they should've agreed upon a long time ago.

The majority of his winter break is spent drinking and partying with Chuck, but even he tires of the whole prostitute thing. He's always been more of the dating type, but he's been burned so much that it's becoming difficult to fall in love. Blair chose Chuck, Serena chose Dan, and he was left with no one. Even Lola chose her career over him.

Lily's holding a New Year's eve party at her penthouse and he decides to attend, without a plus one, hoping he'll find someone there. He steps into the elevator and is surprised to find Jenny Humphrey standing in front of him. Long gone is the racoon eyeliner she had, her make up is a lot more simple, and her legs are as long as ever. She's wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, not really party material.

"Hey."

Her eyes stretch at the sight of him. "Nate," she says simply with a light smile. "It's been a while."

"Yeah...What are you doing in New York?"

Jenny sighs pinching the bridge of her nose, with two fingers "Well since Dan left and we haven't heard from him for over a year, I decided to spend the holidays with my father."

He rubs the back of his neck nervously with his hand, deciding whether or not to tell her about Dan.

Nate's lips curve slightly. "So are you here to confront Lily or something," Nate asks deciding to change the subject.

Jenny folds her arms across her chest presses her lips tightly. "Maybe."

Nate chuckles. "That's not a good idea...How about we get a drink instead?...You know, to catch up."

A smile begins to form on Jenny's lips and she nods. "Yeah...that sounds like a good idea."

Nate meets her smile. "Cool."

**Serena**

Most of her collegues are either bullimic, drug addicts, or both. She steers clear of them, trying not to fall back to old ways, but New York's becoming lonely, and there's only so much partying a girl can do without a close friend. She hates to admit it, but she misses Blair.

She's on a dry spell, she hasn't had sex with anyone since Steven. It feels good and empowering, but she misses dating and falling head over heels over a guy.

New Year's passes and her mother finally files for divorce from Bart. The divorce is as quiet as her mother's marriage. One of her biggest fears is becoming her mother, having multiple divorces and never meeting the right guy for her. After Blair left Dan, she saw Blair headed towards that direction and that was something she wanted to avoid.

A month passes by her and she gets a call for a photoshoot in Florence, the pay's good so she leaves the city and jumps on the next flight to Italy. Her plane lands, and she books a room in _Hotel Savoy_, a five star hotel located halfway between Uffizi Gallery and Florence Cathedral. Her suite's spacious and features a distinctive marble bathroom with mosiacs.

The photoshoot takes up her whole day, she can see the sun falling and becoming orange as she leaves the gardens of the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte. Walking down the renaissance steps, she sees Dan standing below, on the stone floor. He's wearing a white polo, black pants, and sunglasses. His hair is well kempt with and slightly parted, not too long.

"Taking a page out from Carter Baizen I see," Serena says as she reaches him

Dan's lip curve slightly. "I hear you like that sort of thing."

Serena meets his smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Come take a walk with me and I'll tell you."

Serena nods and lets him lead the way. He takes his sunglasses off and puts them into his messenger bag as they begin walking ahead on the stone sidewalks with old, beautiful sculpted buildings ahead.

"So," she probes, insinuating him to go on as they walk side by side, shoulders grazing

Dan glances over and shrugs. "I just miss home."

She read he had broken up with Olivia and saw on his website that he was touring in Europe, so she's not surprised to see him.

"So are playing in Florence," Serena asks

He shakes his head slightly and looks down. "No... I have a couple of days off, and Nate told me you were in Florence doing a photoshoot."

Serena nods and lets the quiet settle in, thinking of what caused them to drift apart.

"Dan."

"Hmmm." Dan turns his head and meets her eyes

"I'm really sorry for manipulating you," Serena says, deciding to be honest with him. "Blair had everything going for her while I was in a dark place, and I couldn't stand that."

Dan sighs looks straight head, sliding his hands in his pockets. "I just don't understand why you would steal her diaries, or manipulate me...I never tried to ruin any of your relationships."

"Blair just brings out the worst in me."

Dan nods, and they don't breach the subject for the rest of the walk. They take a cab back to her hotel, with him telling her about his trip.

Once they reach her suite, they order room service, she then gets ready and they decide to go dancing, or she makes him. Dan has never been the most outgoing person.

She watches him flirt with girls at the bar, and she's a little annoyed by it. She's always been possessive over him, but she can't say that for any of her other exes, so it must mean something.

They come back to her suite, drunk, and crash on her bed. She wakes up the next morning and finds Dan lying beside her on the bed. She pokes his cheeks a couple of times, leading his eyes to flutter open.

She orders room service and they have breakfast outside her balcony.

"Where are you headed next," Serena asks, poking at her eggs with a fork

Dan looks up from his plate of eggs. "Paris...It's practically the highlight of our trip. We're playing at Olympia Hall."

She frowns. "Are you going to visit Blair?"

Dan's lips curve into a smile. "We didn't really end on the best terms...And I found her to be rather annoying the last time I saw her."

Serena giggles covering her mouth. "She was a bit irritating." Serena nods in agreement. "Did you know she fainted because of the pressure coming from the pact."

"Oh god," Dan groans leading Serena to chuckle. "I will never understand those two."

Later on in the day, she drops him off the train station, asking him when he's planning on coming back to New York. He shakes her off, telling her, he doesn't know if he's ever coming back, but, she does manage to get his number. They hug, say their goodbyes, and she watches him leave on a train to Paris.

**Blair**

Smiling used to be easy, but it's only become a memory. The smile she would give him was to easy to remember, but so hard to forget.

_Dan_

There's nothing good about him, but why does her heart break thinking about him. He's not worth the heartache, but it still hurts. It doesn't matter if he's not worth it. She should be better, but she's worse.

_Chuck_

Arriving in Paris, she went straight to work, fighting with her lips to present a smile. Chuck's on her mind constantly, she can't get rid of his voice, or how her skin burns just thinking of him pressing his fingers on the inside of her thighs.

Weeks pass and it's _Chuck, Chuck, Chuck_. Not getting any better. It doesn't matter how much she works, he's on her mind. The pain, the love, all the work she put into that relationship.

Was it all for nothing?

It's just like she told her mother, she's a horrible designer. Someone like Jenny Humphrey would be better fit for her role. There are moments where she comes up with a great idea and the financial quarter does great, but other times, she misses and has to hear it from her mother. Her mother thinks putting more work in will solve everything, but that's not how designing clothes works. A person either has the talent of designing, or doesn't, and she clearly doesn't. She can't continue to have successful quarters on just selling high school uniforms.

Months pass and thoughts of Chuck begin to drift away. It starts with waking up to her mother and Cyrus every morning. She observes the way they treat each other, the way he makes her mother laugh. She's different around him, and no one gets to see her mother this way, not even her. Before Cyrus, she never knew there was this side to her mother. Cyrus isn't good looking, he's short, and seems to be from a different world, but he makes her mother happy.

Summer approaches and her mother begins to take more control of Waldorf Designs. She tries hard not to show her disappointment of failing her mother. It's high school all over again.

The leaves of trees are changing colors and her mother decides to give her more responsiblity. Her mother and Cyrus leave for New York, basically handing her the company. She does a better job this time around, but she isn't able to live up to her mother. It hurts because this is all she has now. She stops designing clothes and uses her companies resources to find designers. With a variety of designs shown to her, she chooses the ones she thinks look the best. She's back to being an evil dictator of taste. She doesn't care if people don't think of her as a designer, all she cares about is running a successful company.

It's winter and she's walking down the street, on her way to pick up some macaroons from her favorite desert shop. Her phone rings and she sees Nate's name appear on the phone screen. Nate had been the only person she had kept in touch with for the past year.

"Hello."

"Hey," Nate says. "How's everything?"

"Get straight to the point Nate, I don't have time.'

"Dan's in town."

Her breath hitches and a moment passes

"Blair?"

"Yes Nate, I'm here. I don't see how any of this is my concern," Blair replies

"Come on Blair, you're lonely and I think spending time with Dan might do you some good," Nate reasons

"I thought you hated Dan?"

"We made up... He apologized for the article."

"Well I haven't recieved my apology."

"You can't be serious."

"Are you taking his side," Blair snaps

"You left him without a word, if anything, you guys are at least even," Nate says sounding tired. "Look, I can relate to Dan. I know you tend to forget things, but you left me for Chuck to, so I know what it feels like to lose you, especially to Chuck."

"At the time, unlike Dan, you weren't much better then Chuck."

She can hear Nate sigh on the other end of the line. "This conversation is going nowhere...I know you want to see him, so I'll just email you the address of where his show is and you can do with it what you want," Nate tells her before hanging up.

She already made a decision the instant Nate brought his name up. She's curious as to what Nate means by his show. All she knew was that he hadn't written anything and was dating Olivia. If there is one things for sure, she's going to need some chocolate for tonight.

She reads Nate's email and learns that Dan sings. She googles him and finds pictures of him singing on stage, sweaty and looking sexy as ever. There is something very attractive about a guy playing guitar. She wonders what he sings about and decides instead of listening to his songs online, she'll just wait to watch him live.

The next night, she arrives at Olympia Hall where Dan's playing. He's done pretty well with his musical career, at least more then his father had done. Even though Dan hasn't produced a mainstream hit, he's still able to get shows and being paid to play at Olympia Hall was a big deal.

She enters the hall and isn't surprised by the crowd and the buzz. She's surrounded by people her age and notices them not as well dressed as her. They look like regular students going to a concert after a busy week in college. College was a disappointment for her. It was something she had been looking forward to for 18 years of her life, but unfortunatley high school turned out to be the highlight of her life.

She sits on the comfortable red seat and once the lights shut off, she looks ahead to see Dan walking on stage with two band members from behind and an extra guitarist on the side. The crowd erupts with his appearance. His hair's well-kempt, and slightly shorter then she remembers. He keeps it simple by wearing steel blue button down with black pants.

She listens to his introduction and is surprised to see the confidence he exudes. He gives the Bassist a smug grin before turning to the crowd. "This songs about the girl in the hallway," Dan says before they begin playing.

A wave of shock coerces through her body. It's not the music, it's the lyrics that make him unique. His voice is softer then she expected and the beats slow. The emotion he puts into singing makes it seem so real. She realizes he isn't acting, it's how he actually feels. The songs about how the girl in the hallway surprises him and he begins to see a different side to her.

Seventy five percent of the songs are about her, and to her surprise, they aren't bitter. They're about missed oppurtunities with her in high school and college, lost love, and how much he misses her. As she stares at him, she can't help but be allured by his words. She typically scrunches her nose to the sight of sweat, but there is just something attractive about watching him sing about her. Her skins is burning and reaching to her core once he begins reciting about his experiences in bed with her.

All of the feelings she's had for him in the past year begin to unravel and she can't keep them in check anymore. She likes him. No, she really likes him.

* * *

**So... tell me what you think?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I loved reading the reviews, you guys are too nice. To be honest, I'm not very happy with this chapter. It's too long and just not as well written as the others****.**** I felt the other chapters had flown better and were more natural. I hope this chapter doesn't feel forced, but I promise the next chapter will be much better. This chapter was just particularly difficult to write. **

**Also, this is the last chapter this story will be formatted like this.**

* * *

**Blair**

She spends hours deciding between dresses, trying to look her best. She's going to show Dan she's doing just fine and that she was the best thing he's ever had. After looking over his tour schedule, she goes over to the bar that he's playing at and waits for his band to leave through the back entrance. She didn't watch the band live, instead, decided to leave for the bar during Dan's last set.

She reaches a secluded alley and sees the help packing up the band's instruments and amps in a van as Dan and his band members stand against the wall and watch. She notices them smoking a joint and laughing. She walks closer until Dan can hear her heels clicking against the cement road. Dan glances over and his eyes widen in surprise.

He's looks good. Not that she's surprised. He looked good the instant she caught sight of him after his trip from Rome. Unlike before, there's a little bit more meat on him, which she prefers, and for once, she doesn't mind his stubble.

Dan sighs and rubs his eyes with his hand. "Shit… I'm way too high for this."

"Don't tell me you aren't tingling just at the sight of me," Blair says with as her lips curve slightly, daring him to disagree.

"I see you still have the same tongue."

"I see you still have trouble dressing yourself," Blair retorts and notices his lips quivering as he tries to fight a smile.

Dan clears his throat and covers his mouth with his hand. "So, I'm guessing you were just in the neighborhood."

"Yes… I spotted a familiar wool-haired boy giggling with some hipsters and thought I'd say hi," Blair says

Dan smirks. "That's nice of you Waldorf." His eyes remain on her and he lets a moment pass. "Anyways, I should be getting back to my hotel."

"Still lacking manners I see. The least you could do is offer me coffee," she replies raising her brows

Dan sighs and begins kicking the cement sidewalk with his boot, looking down. "I don't think that would be such a good idea."

Blair arches an eyebrow. "And why not?"

Dan looks up to meet her eyes and lifts his shoulders. "Because I'm still pissed with how things ended with us."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you the one who came to me and asked for a place to stay?" Blair knits her brows, hoping he would just let the past be the past.

"I was still in love with you then."

She recoils slightly and lets a moment pass between them. She doesn't know why, but it hurts hearing him use the word love in a past tense sentence.

"So you don't even want to be friends anymore," Blair asks softly, trying to avoid his gaze

"I don't think I'm stupid enough to do that again."

Her jaws clench as she gives him a glare. "Says the person who can't stop singing about me."

Dan clenches his jaw and looks away, not saying a word and letting the quiet settle in.

"I chose him because I thought he was what I wanted. If I didn't give him another chance, it would've been something I would've always thought about and looked back on," Blair explains, deciding to be brutally honest with him.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"I'm just giving you the closure you desperately need," Blair tells him with a fake smile.

"I think I already received it by seeing you for who you truly are… A heartless bitch that enjoys being in the shadow of the great Chuck Bass."

He's spot on and it just makes his words sting more. She's surprised it took him so long to actually call her out.

Blair nods and looks down, trying to mask the pain. "I'd like to think I'm more than that," Blair says softly, before turning her heels and walking off, not giving him an opportunity to say anything more.

She finds her driver parked in a dark secluded alley and leaves for her Chateau. It's North of Paris and is about forty five miles away from the city, but worth the commute. Her Chateau's in impeccable condition. It's surrounded by twelve acres of lawns, woods and fields. It holds seventeen bedrooms as well as fully modern ensuite baths, a restaurant kitchen and magnificent public rooms. The rooms include stone fireplaces, parquet floors, beautiful woodwork, gold-leaf sculpted doors, and high ceilings.

She enters her foyer, tosses her bag and trench coat, with her hair slightly wet from the rain. She leaves for the kitchen and scolds herself for not picking up macaroons on the way, leading her to settle on ice cream. Taking a carton of ice cream into her living room, she glosses over her cell phone and discovers a missed call from Jenny. She dials Jenny's number and waits for the blonde to pick up.

"Hello," Jenny greets

She left Jenny a voicemail earlier in the day, hoping to discuss a business opportunity.

"Jenny! I'm glad I caught you."

"Why did you call me Blair," Jenny asks, not sounding happy to hear Blair's voice

"Well…" Blair glosses over her fingernails. "I was wondering if you would be interested in designing for my company."

"Fuck off."

_Click_

Her mouth's left open as Jenny hangs up. It's not exactly the response she was looking for. Jenny's an amazing designer, and she's much needed for Blair's future plans for Waldorf Designs. It's going to take more work recruiting Jenny then she initially imagined.

After her brief conversation with Jenny, she showers, slips into her silk negligee, and falls on her bed, thinking her day can't be any worse tomorrow.

Later that night, her eyes flutter open to the constant ringing coming from her doorbell. She huffs out a distressed breath and pulls her duvet off, hearing the thunderstorm coming from outside her window. After she ties on her rob, she descends down the staircase and reaches the door.

Opening the door, she finds Dan standing in his t-shirt, soaking from the rain. She glances over to her driveway and sees a cab driving away from her Chateau.

"You have 5 seconds to explain yourself before I release the dogs," Blair says folding her arms across her chest.

Dan presses his lips tightly and frowns. His cheeks are slightly bitten and he looks dejected. "I'm sorry." He swallows hard and lifts his eyes to meet hers. "What I said was awful."

She looks away, avoiding his gaze and ties her robe on tighter. "What do you want Dan?"

"I'm kind of hungry." Dan's lips curve slightly

She wants to smile, but she's still upset with him. The only reason she's even considering letting him inside her home is because of how horribly she treated him in the past. There was always a part of her that believed they would never make up. She's still furious over how fast he was able to move on to Serena and he will always be upset with her for leaving him. Obviously, she knows she'd be able to forgive him because she's forgiven Chuck for worse, but she isn't sure if the same goes for Dan.

He tilts her chin up to meet her eyes. "I know you never said it to me, but I believed I'd always have you too."

She nods, feeling her heart warm but presses her lips tightly. She opens the door more to let him in. Dan steps in and his eyes scan over the foyer.

Before Dan can take another step forward, Blair puts her hand out to stop him. "Boots," Blair says pointing to his boots with her index finger. Dan rolls his eyes and takes his boots off. "Shirt and pants as well Humphrey. I can't have a wet dog roaming around."

Dan sighs, pulling his shirt over his head. "This is ridiculous."

"My house my rules," Blair replies, enjoying the sight of his bare chest.

She takes his pants and shirt to throw in the dryer and comes back with a dry towel.

Dan grabs the towel she's offering him. "Do you have any clothes I could wear?"

"Sorry, but I haven't had any guys here."

She notices his lips curve slightly and rolls her eyes before heading to the kitchen.

She watches him sit on her stool, by the marble island in the kitchen with a towel wrapped around his shoulders, eating her Apple Pie with a fork. Everything seems normal and fine. Her brain can't wrap around it, it just can't be this simple. On the other hand, Dan's always been soft and gentle. He was naïve and would always forgive too easily.

Dan's eyes scatter around the kitchen. "This place is really big for someone living alone."

Blair places her hand in-between her jaw and cheek to prop her head up over the marble top and stares at him from the opposite side. "It can be lonely, but that's something I've always felt until... You know…..."

_you_

Dan nods and begins poking his pie trying to avoid her gaze. "We should do something tomorrow," Dan says, changing the subject.

She invites him to come along to a fashion show she was planning to attend. Dan agrees and then he finishes eating. After he's done with the pie, she grabs his clothes from the dryer and they leave for her room to watch a flick before her eyes gradually shut.

She wakes up to the sunlight coming from her terrace. Hearing the birds chirping outside her window, she finds Dan sitting the railing, staring into the sun, and writing in his little moleskin, with one foot tucked under and the other hanging off the ledge.

She ties on her silk robe and walks over to the end of the terrace to reach him. "What are you writing?"

Dan glances over, eyes squinting. "A premise for a sequel to _Inside _just popped into my head."

"Should I be worried," Blair asked warily

Dan smirks. "That's a secret I'll never tell."

Blair's lips curl into a smile with her brows knitting together. "Are you quoting Gossip Girl?"

Dan bits his lips as he fights a smile.

They drink the coffee Dan makes, and leave for Paris. The first place they go is the Eiffel Tower because Dan wants a picture of himself on the tower. She takes a picture while placing a kiss on his cheek, leaving him completely red. They then leave for the Mursee d'Orsay, deciding Louvre Museum was better to visit at night.

Surprisingly, he doesn't have much to say, he just listens to her opinion of the painting. Later on, she realizes he was high and was trying to control himself from laughing.

Since they're going to a fashion show she must attend, she needs to buy Dan something fashionable to wear. She's surprised to learn he can't afford the clothes from the stores they visit. She buys him a lightweight jacket, crook scarf, and a long sleeve white polo.

Dan steps out of the fitting room. "This isn't me Waldorf."

"Too bad Humphrey, I have to be seen with you. Besides, this is a fashion show, you have to look fashionable," Blair says and scans over his body. "Now…Spin around for me."

After picking out Dan's attire for the evening, she changes into a suitable dress for the night. They leave in a limo and Dan looks more comfortable then she expected he'd be. The limo pulls up to the entrance of the event, where it is covered with paparazzi yelling out her name. The sight of Dan in her arms causes even more of a rumble. She gets interviewed on the side, but is surprised when the reporter asks Dan questions about his past relationships.

As they sit by the runway and watch the models strut through, Dan looks miserable. She tells her assistants to make sure to give her a detailed report on the show the next day so she and Dan can leave early. She takes him to the Seine River where the moon is reflecting against the water.

"Don't you find this to be a little romantic," Dan asks as they walk side by side across the Seine River walkway.

"You always have to read into things Humphrey," Blair replies

Dan leans his shoulder against hers. "Fine, I'll just stay quiet and wait for you to make your move then."

Blair presses her lips together. "Then you'll be waiting forever."

Dan glances over and meets her eyes, holding a smirk. "I've waited once before, surely I can do it again."

"That's not funny Dan." She frowns and looks down, feeling a slight pang in her chest.

He nudges her shoulder playfully and chuckles. "There's nothing wrong with lightening up the mood."

"There is when you're toying with my feelings," Blair tells him turning her head to look at Dan.

It shuts him up and they remain mostly quiet for the remainder of the walk. Not shortly after, she calls a cab and they head back to her Chateau. Once they reach her place, Dan seems reserved and she pulls out a bottle of wine to bring into her bedroom so they can loosen up.

The alcohol makes Dan open up, but not in the way she was expecting.

"I don't think anyone can make you happier than me," Dan says with his legs crossing each other as he is sitting on the carpeted floor of Blair's bedroom, holding a glass of wine.

"Are you sure about that," Blair inquires arching a brow, challenging him with her legs tucked under her.

Dan's gave her a smile that reaches his eyes and causes them to slightly squint. "I've never been more confident."

"Do you even want me to be happy," she asks, feeling like he should be hating her instead.

Dan swallows. "Yeah."

Her lips quivers but her face hardens. "I thought you hated me. You said I deserve to be with someone like Chuck."

"How can I hate you when I love you?"

"And yet I don't even think about you," Blair says coldly, trying to push him away.

Dan's lips curve slightly as he shakes his head. "It doesn't matter, I love you anyway."

She can taste the salt from her tear on the corner of her lip.

"Why?"

"Because I see you…The real you," he tells her

"And you like what you see," Blair asks softly and sniffs. "A weak little girl who only knows how to scheme and treat people beneath her."

Dan places his wine glass on the side, then pulls himself up from the carpeted floor, looking slightly tipsy and walks over to Blair. He leans down in front of her and she wraps her arms around his neck, desperately, leading her to be pulled up from the floor.

With her legs wrapped around his waist, Dan says with a smile, "If you could only see what I see."

She leans her forehead against his and laughs lightly as the tears escape her eyes in memory of Dan standing by the stairwell looking up at her.

"Don't leave," Blair whispers, grabbing on to him tighter as she continues to have her forehead pressed against his.

_Don't say these things and leave_

It took her too long to realize Chuck was only and obstacle for her and Dan, nothing more. It's Dan, it's should've been Dan.

He lays her on the bed and presses a soft kiss on her lips as he hovers over her. She doesn't let him pull away and only intensifies the kiss. She misses this, the feel of his soft lips, the way he looks at her. She starts tugging on his shirt and he complies after tearing away from her insistent lips.

He makes love to her that night. The slow kind, in where you never forget, the kind that promises you so much.

She wakes up in the morning and he's gone with no number in sight. He left without a goodbye. Maybe it was payback, or maybe it was just easier this way. Not that it makes a difference, since her whole body has become numb.

**Serena**

Serena leaves Florence for New York, and finds Rufus having dinner with her mother in their kitchen. She sighs and wonders what took them so long.

It's time for her to grow up and she has enough money to support herself. She goes apartment hunting and finally decides on a studio apartment in the Upper East Side. Her mother approves and holds a party at the apartment. Nate attends and she's surprised to find Nate's plus one being Jenny. She wonders if Dan will approve.

She begins dating Eli, an investment banker Nate introduced her to. Eli's hair is slicked back, he has great taste in clothes, good in bed, but in the end, he's a bit boring. She really tries to give him a try and they date for 2 months, but in the end, it doesn't work out.

She texts Dan here and there, but he rarely replies. To her surprise, Rufus hasn't spoken to him since Cotillion. When she and Dan do talk, she tries to fill him in on the latest Upper East Side gossip.

She hears the whispers and it's all over Gossip Girl…Blair's back in New York. Rumors have Blair handing the company over to someone and attending school again. She's been enjoying life without Blair and has liked the person she has become, so she decides not to reach out to Blair.

_Knock Knock_

She turns off the TV and walks over to the door. She looks into the peephole and sees a disproportionate Blair standing and waiting impatiently in the hall.

She sighs and opens the door, having difficulty curving her lips.

Blair presses her lips tightly, looking uncomfortable. "Hi."

Serena steps away and Blair walks in, dropping her bag over the red leather couch.

"How've you been," Serena asks, with her hands on arms.

"Good." Blair smiles and meets Serena's eyes. "I'm attending Columbia again."

Serena furrows her brows in confusion. "Why?"

Blair sits on the couch and places her hands on her lap. "I didn't enjoy running Waldorf Designs. The only reason I even agreed to run it was because I wanted to be equals with Chuck… So I suppose you can say I'm starting all over again."

Serena nods and looks over to the kitchen. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"No thank you," Blair says quietly, looking down and playing with the hem of her dress.

Quietness creeps in, making the situation even more awkward.

"What are you even doing here Blair," Serena asks exasperatedly

"Well…Since I'll be living in New York, I thought it was a good idea to try and mend things between us… I really need a friend right now."

Serena looks down, to avoid Blair's eyes, and rubs her hand up and down her arm nervously. "What I did to you was unforgivable, but… What you did to me was unforgivable as well."

Blair's eyes shift from soft and warm, to cold and hard.

Blair looks at Serena in disbelief. "What did I do to you?"

Serena's brows furrow in frustration. "You chose Chuck! You risked our friendship for nothing. And now I'm always going to be the girl Dan settles for," Serena explains with her jaws clenching. "There is nothing to salvage here. We've both done horrible things to each other."

Blair's eyes stretch in shock as she takes in everything Serena told her. She then huffs out a breath in disbelief. "Fine, if that's the way you want it."

Serena watches Blair storm out and slam her door, leading her to sigh. She realizes she's been doing that a lot lately.

**Nate**

Nate and Jenny are sitting in a low seedy Brooklyn bar, and she's telling him about her time in London. The drugs, the sex, and how she's learned from those experiences. She's way more laid back when compared to the girls he's dated before. Blair was high maintenance and Serena was impossible to catch, but Jenny's just normal, and he likes normal.

They begin dating after Jenny tells him she's transferring to Parsons. It's nice, there's no unnecessary drama. The problems with their relationship are within and there's no outside factors affecting it, which is something rare but pleasant.

Jenny's complaining about missing her brother, so he decides to give her a present and Skype's Dan. They sit on the couch, with a laptop on his thighs, and wait for Dan to pick up. Dan picks up and his face appears on his laptop screen. Dan's smiling, and his eyes are red, barley open. In the background, Nate can notice a boy with tattoos wrestling a skinny blonde haired boy in the hotel room.

"Is that Jenny," Dan asks, leaning closer to his laptop screen and squinting his eyes.

"Hey Dan," Jenny says smiling from ear to ear

"Wow." Dan clears his throat. "You've grown."

"You would've known earlier if you were here more often," Jenny tells Dan. "Why have you been avoiding Dad?"

"Because of call me Serena Ivy," Dan explains leading Nate to chuckle and Jenny to furrow her brows in confusion.

Nate butts in and fills Dan on what happened with Ivy. Dan doesn't seem surprised to learn Ivy was playing Rufus. If anything, Dan just shakes his head and laughs it off. They catch Dan up on the latest gossip and eventually learn his tour in Europe is ending.

As months pass, Nate and Jenny get closer while she keeps in touch with Dan. With Blair's persistence, Jenny eventually agrees to work for Waldorf Designs. She's given her own design label and works in the New York office. He officially graduates from Columbia with a degree in Law. They have a graduation party and everyone's invited. Rufus and Lily seem to be happy, while Blair and Serena don't even look at each other. Chuck's still leering at Blair, but she continues to ignore him.

July comes by and he takes the bar exam. It's tough and feels he's in way over his head. He has trouble preparing for it with the parties he attends and the time he spends with Jenny. Not surprisingly, he fails and has to take it again. It takes him 3 tries before he gives up and accepts that he won't be able to pass the exam.

Eventually, with the help of his grandfather, he gets hired by a consulting firm. The pays decent, and he thinks he can work his way up to the 100k range.

Another season passes as him and Jenny continue to spend most of their time working, leaving little time for themselves, but their relationship still works because they trust each other and know they'll be fine in the end.

Christmas comes by and he proposes to Jenny outside the terrace of Lily's penthouse during Lily's Christmas party.

**Dan**

Fame was something he never wanted, but for some reason, his music's becoming popular in the underground scene and he's being linked to actress's he's only met here and there when he was dating Olivia. His band members left for L.A. while he stayed in Europe, yet he's been linked with two different women in the past month.

He backpacks across Europe, trying to escape the attention his music has garnered. He still plays in small bars and halls, just to get by. He doesn't have a home and spends his nights in hotels.

His manager somehow gets a hold of him and tells him the record label is threatening him with a lawsuit if he doesn't fulfill contract. The next thing he knows, he's in Los Angeles.

He still tries to keep in touch with Jenny, Nate, and even Serena. His time is mostly spent producing an album for his record label. At night, he still gets in the trendiest nightclubs just because of his past. He's the author of_ Inside_, a novel every movie production company is trying to buy the rights of, and his dating record is impressive, even though Serena and Olivia are the only ones who he has actually dated from the list the internet has created. It also doesn't hurt the fact that he dated an ex-princess.

Since he's single now, people are beginning to think he sleeps around, but he really doesn't because he never has. It's not who he is and it's someone he will never be.

Every obligation he has is because of his contract. Before his album's released, he has to do a lot of interviews, there are a lot of public appearances, and he's even on _VH1's You Oughta Know_ webpage, leading him to be recognized from here to there while walking on the street. He finds it annoying because he just wants a normal life.

His album's finally released, leading him to go on a promotion tour which lasts for months. When it finally ends, his manager gives him time off. Jenny calls him and tells him she's engaged, leading him to pack a bag and head for New York.

He's not surprised to learn that Jenny's engagement party is being held in the Waldorf penthouse because he knows god just hates him. He enters his loft in Brooklyn, unpacks, buttons up a black shirt, slides on a black blazer, and buckles up some black pants, making sure the collar of his dress shirt is unbuttoned. As he studies his old bedroom, he notices Cedric is missing.

Standing in Blair's elevator, there are a lot of nostalgic memories. A part of him just wants to run back to L.A. and forget these people ever existed. Obviously, he waits too long to make a decision and the elevator opens.

He steps into the foyer and hears chatter coming from the living room and dining room of Blair's penthouse. The foyer is filled with very small circles of groups. He looks ahead and watches Blair push through the crowd with a smile, in her polka-dot sheath dress. When their eyes meet, her lips instantly press tightly in displeasure.

She gives him a glare and he just rolls his eyes, not caring for her glares anymore.

"Who invited you," Blair asks, giving him a little attitude

"Jenny did," Dan answers and then scans Blair's body up and down. "Unfortunately."

"Well leave," Blair orders waving him off with his hand.

Dan raises his brows and tilts his head to the side. "Please don't make this a bigger deal then it should be."

Blair presses her lips tightly and narrows her eyes at him. "You stay out of my way, I stay out of yours."

"No argument here sister." Dan then brushes past her shoulder and leaves to look for Jenny.

He planned to find his sister first, but makes a detour to look for some alcohol first. Something tells him he's going to be drinking a lot more now that he's back. He heads for Blair's kitchen to find the hard stuff. Reaching in her cabinet, he pulls out some vodka and pours himself a glass.

He feels a hand squeezing his ass, leading his eyes to widen. He spins around and sees Georgina standing in front of him, holding a wicked smile.

Dan sighs and rubs his forehead with his fingers tiredly.

"How courteous of you to join us little people," Georgina states arching a brow

"My pleasure…Now if you'll excuse me, I need to let my sister know I'm here."

He walks past Georgina and heads out of the kitchen and into the living room. It's exactly how he remembers it, everyone dresses well, there's gossip going on amongst everyone, and he feels like Lonely Boy all over again.

Once his sister catches sight of him, he earns a loud squeal from her, which eventually turns into a hug. His father on the other hand is more relieved than excited. He even thinks his father sheds a tear and it makes him feel guilty for running away. They hug, talk, and it gets very emotional.

He licks his lips to taste the bitterness from the vodka and sees Serena standing across the living room. Her white knee high strapless dress is only causing her hair to look more golden.

"How's modeling," Dan asks as he approaches her

Serena bites her bottom lip as she swirls her champagne flute with her hand. "The pays good and being in the limelight doesn't hurt."

Dan chuckles and nods. "I saw the billboard. It was um…." Dan looks down at his drink. "Revealing."

"It's nothing you haven't seen," Serena teases and Dan meets her smile. "What are your plans for tonight?"

His eyes slightly squint as he thinks. "I'm probably going to stay in for the night and read."

"You haven't changed a bit," Serena tells him

"I hope that's a good thing."

Serena meets Dan's eyes. "It is."

He then glances over and notices Blair standing alone on the terrace. "I'm sorry Serena, but I should go talk to Blair." Serena nods and he walks off to the terrace.

There's something about Blair that still makes his heart race and to him, her skin still sparkles.

"Good party," Dan says, trying to ease the tension between them as he reaches the terrace, away from the guest's view.

Before he can even blink, he feels an immense sting from the palm of her hand meeting his cheek. As he rubs his cheek, her eyes are wide and she's inhaling hard through her nostrils as her lips are pressed tightly.

"Where you just trying to hurt me," Blair asks grinding her teeth together

"No," he protests instantly. "I was scared…. I still hadn't recovered from the last time we dated."

Her doe eyes went soft. "You didn't even call."

"You broke me," was all he could say, shrugging his shoulders.

"So did you," Blair yells as her eyes become glossy. "You shattered my heart," her tone softens.

"I didn't even think you would care," Dan reasons softly

She looks so heartbroken and he can't even come up with the right words because he's in shock. He really didn't feel like he meant much to her.

He tries to step closer to touch her, but she puts her hands up in defense. "Don't. Just leave me alone…Please."

Dan nods and watches her walk past him, wiping the tears from her cheeks and heads up to the staircase, ignoring all the stares she's getting from the guests.

* * *

**Please review and tell me how awful this is.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This is the ****penultimate ****chapter and the format's different in this chapter because everyone's in New York. I hope to have the last chapter posted soon. As for Bad Before Good, I don't know when I'm posting it. I've kind of lost my muse and I'm having trouble finishing the chapter even though I know how it ends. Hopefully soon is my only answer for those waiting. After this fic is completed, my attention will solely be on Back to Life and An Affair for The Ages, which will not be posted as quickly as these chapters were. I wouldn't be surprised if it took me a year to finish those stories so I hope you'll stay with me.**

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With all the guests gone, Blair's left alone to cleanup. After putting the leftovers in the fridge, her heels click to the foyer and catches Dan standing in the middle of the marble floor with his hands in his pockets.

Her heart jumps at first glance.

Dan swallows nervously. "Hi."

Blair approaches him and folds her arms across her chest, tapping her heels impatiently. "I thought I made myself clear Humphrey."

"You did, but I'm having trouble believing you," Dan says

Blair presses her lips in displeasure. "Well…Then you're just an idiot."

Blair heads for her staircase, but before she can set her foot on the first step, he grabs her wrist and pulls her back to where her back is pressed against his chest. His hands slide all the way down to her hips, grasping on.

"You have five seconds to explain why I shouldn't slap you right now," Blair warns

"I'm sorry," Dan whispers and presses a soft kiss on her collarbone, leading her to shut her eyes. "I really am…It's just…You kill me." Dan presses his hips against hers.

"Stop," Blair protests weakly

"Tell me you haven't missed me and I will."

"Dan," Blair says softly and his lips begin sucking on her neck.

"I miss you," Dan whispers before he goes back to her neck.

She grabs the back of his head with one hand and presses him closer to her neck while sliding his other hand to her right breast, hoping his lips will mark her. Dan gets the idea and slides his other hand to her left breast. He squeezes and pinches, each causing her to whimper and cry softly. Her hips begin slowly grinding against his, leading him to teeth her neck.

He spins her around and their eyes meet. She loves how wanted he makes her feel. She attacks his lips and they begin kissing wildly while feeling out each other's bodies with their hands, eventually falling on the marble floor of her foyer, not wanting to wait anymore. He's kissing her on the neck and she can hear him unbuckling his belt. Their too impatient to slide her panties off, so he slides the crotch of her panties to the side, feeling the hard floor against her back and…..

Blair's eyes flutter open to the sound of her alarm clock. She's swept through with irritation for dreaming of Dan and throws the pillow on the floor in frustration.

**XOXOXOXO**

It's well past noon when he wakes. Jenny's towering over him, arching a brow, with her hands on her hips.

"Time to get up," Jenny says in a sunny voice that makes him want to bury his head under his pillow. "Brunch is in two hours."

Dan rubs his eyes with the both of his curled hands. "What are you talking about," he asks with a raspy voice leaving his throat.

"Chuck's holding a Bass brunch at the Empire," Jenny tells him as he begins to stretch out and yawn

"Does it require formal wear?"

Jenny gives him a look of _what do you think_, and he roll his eyes while sliding off his bed. He brushes his teeth, showers, and puts on some formal attire for Brunch. When he leaves his room and steps into the kitchen, he finds Jenny sitting on the couch, with a remote control in hand, watching the style network.

They head downstairs to see a town car parked in front of the curb of his loft and he realizes a lot's changed since he left. He follows Jenny and steps into the town car, welcoming the comfort of the leather seats.

Dan glances over to his sister. "When did you start using a town car?"

"When I was handed the responsibility of designing for Waldorf Designs," Jenny tells him

His eyes become filled with concern and his brotherly instincts take over. "Are you guy's friends now?"

It becomes clear Jenny notices his uneasiness when her hand lands on top of his. She gives him a reassuring smile of everything's fine. "You know I've always looked up to her."

"She's not a good person," Dan says with a sad smile. "You shouldn't trust her."

"What can I say, us Humphrey's have a certain fondness for Blair," Jenny replies, smiling lightly

He nods and glances over to the window, deciding not to touch on the subject anymore.

He arrives at Brunch and it's just like before, all eyes are on him and they're all wearing white. Whispering and gossiping grow to his attendance.

He spots Serena, drinking orange juice, and walking away from a couple of well-dressed women. Her smile brightens once she meets his eyes. Just as he's about to greet Serena, Blair appears, ruining the mood.

"Who invited you," Blair asks scrunching her nose to his presence as she shines in her white, half sleeve, knee high dress, with pink on the edges.

"Um…." His eyes swing around the room, searching for his sister. "Jenny."

"Pity," Blair says and presses her lips in disapproval, leading Dan to roll his eyes

Serena nudges his shoulder. "Why don't we get a table?"

"Oh Serena, never did I think you would become this desperate. Still clinging onto your high school boyfriend," Blair says with a fake sweet smile. "How about you save yourself some time and read _Inside_."

Serena mockingly laughs and looks away, pinching the nose of her bridge with her index finger and thumb. "Right…I'm the one clinging to my high school boyfriend. I'm sure you'll be crawling back to Chuck soon and then he can decide when you guys are allowed to get married."

His mouth is left open and he's beginning to wonder why in the hell he came back in the first place. Both girls are on edge and he's worried with how far they'll take it.

"No…Unlike you, I've moved on to bigger and better things."

Serena tilts her head and raises her brows. "I remember you saying that once before, but then you crawled back to the ex who sold you for a hotel."

"You can throw all of these past indiscretions at me, and then I'm sure I can go on about your drug overdoses and slutiness, but I'll be the bigger person and let it go because I have something you cherish most… Dan's heart," Blair replies giving Serena a condescending smile.

Serena smiles it off. "Huh…Don't you think you're being a little conceited?"

A smirk forms on Blair's lips as she bats her eyelashes innocently at Serena. "Oh…Humphrey didn't tell you about us sleeping together last year?"

Serena glances over to Dan, looking slightly hurt. "You slept with her?"

He meets Serena's eyes. "I did and it was obviously a mistake." He then glances over to Blair and gives her a stern look. "It's something I truly regret."

"The feelings mutual," Blair says, pressing her lips in displeasure

If Blair's hurt by his words, he can't see it. Her dragging him into her little fray with Serena is unnecessary and very irritating.

They're interrupted with Nate calling them over to his table.

He pulls up a chair and plops down. The tension's the same as it was the first time he attended the Bass Brunch, except it's too late to fix the mess they've created this time. Serena and Blair's friendship is over, while Chuck still isn't over Blair, and Nate's the only one who seems to be happy.

They sit quietly, playing with their cellphones until Jenny comes along. Blair's smiles once Jenny sits beside her and they begin chatting away about some interview Blair has with W Magazine. Dan tries to ignore the conversation, but it becomes impossible because it's Blair, so he pushes his chair back and leaves for the long narrow table filled with trays of food.

After he's finished eating, he feels bored and decides to leave. Stepping into the main lobby of the hotel, he sees Blair outside the hotel, looking for a cab.

Blair rolls her eyes once her eyes fall on him approaching.

"I wasn't anticipating fireworks," Dan teases, trying to lighten the tension

She ignores him, and continues on looking for a cab. He follows, doing the same, deciding it was best to leave her alone. He takes out a pack of Camel cigarettes, pounds the pack with into the palm of his hands a couple of time before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

Blair scrunches her nose in disgust. "When did you start smoking?"

"Didn't you hear?" His brows knit together as he smirks. "I'm Hollywood now."

"Well it's disgusting… and not you."

His lips curve slightly after he inhales the smoke. "It's too late, I'm addicted."

Too be honest, it's a habit he picked up from the L.A. crowd, which he regrets already. Cigarettes have ruined his life. They're overpriced and he's become too dependent on them.

"I have a proposition for you," he tells her as he leans in closer and blows smoke on her face, leading her to square him a glare. "I promise to quit if you have dinner with me."

Blair raises her brows and gives him a superior smile. She presses her hand against his face, covering most of it, and pushes him off her breathing space, leading him to almost lose his balance.

"Feel free to reduce your life expectancy because I'm perfectly content without you," Blair states, folding her arms across her chest.

Dan presses both his hands on his chest dramatically, feigning hurt, while keeping the cigarette in his mouth. "Well…I'll always have that night in France."

Blair frowns slightly and looks down, wall dissolving. "I thought you said you regretted it."

Dan sighs. "You put me in the middle of a feud between you and Serena."

"I don't recall you being that spiteful with Serena when she used you to hurt me," Blair says, standing her ground firmly

"First of all, you weren't there, so you have no idea how I reacted when Serena used me because you were too busy chasing Chuck. Second, she apologized for the sextape… Something you never do," Dan clarifies

"I apologize for things," Blair replies stubbornly. "I sent my apologies through emails and voicemail."

"You can't be serious?" He looks at her incredulously.

She shrugs her shoulders in response, not showing any sign of sympathy, arms still crossed.

"When I came back from Rome, you turned on me. It was like you pulled a complete 180 on your feelings for me. You showed no remorse for anything you did and in the end, it was me who had to come to you," he explains.

She looks up and meets his eyes. He feels his eyes soften and he hopes she can't see how much pain he's in as his mind drifts off to the past.

"I've seen you treat people pretty horribly before, even Serena…But I never thought you'd do it to me," Dan tells her softly.

She purses her lips and inhales through her nose deeply, not leaving his eyes. Her lip's twitching and fighting against frowning. She looks to be struggling with what to say as her eyes soften.

Dan sighs and looks down, shoulders easing from tension, and then his eyes rise to meet hers. "It's okay Blair…I haven't been perfect either. So I suppose I'm just as bad as you."

Dan gives her an understanding smile and walks away.

**XOXOXOXO**

Ordering a cup of coffee in Brooklyn, Dan runs into Harry, an old friend from NYU. They hadn't seen each other since he dropped out due to the release of _Inside_. They catch up and Harry invites him to a party being held in Soho where all their old friends from college are gathering.

He has trouble deciding between who he should invite as his plus one. His relationship with Serena has become awkward while he isn't in the mood to argue with Blair. He could bring Jenny, but he still wants to impress his old friends and bringing his sister makes him feel like a loser.

He decides to go with Serena, hoping she'll accept his invitation.

Serena seems normal on the phone and gets excited when he invites her. It's so Serena to just forget and ignore the giant elephant in the room.

A week passes and it's the day of the party. He decides to go with a long sleeve navy blue sweater, brown pants, and leaves his loft to pick Serena up. After taking a cab to Serena's place, she buzzes him in and he knocks on her red door once he climbs the stairs.

The red door opens and Serena's standing in front of him, wearing a white long sleeve brown striped top with light blue jeans and a brown scarf wrapped around her neck. She looks as perfect as ever.

Dan blinks, thinking about how perfect she looks in normal clothes. "Hey."

A smile forms on Serena's lips. "Hey." She grabs the purse on the couch and they catch a cab to Soho.

Sitting in the cab, he can't help but check her out with the corner of his eyes.

He turns his head to look at her. "Thanks for coming by the way."

"You know I can never say no to a party," Serena jokes with a glowing smile.

"Of course not." Dan chuckles and nods his head slightly, looking away. "I just thought you've been mad about the whole Blair thing."

Serena looks down and frowns slightly. "I was at first…But only because I think you can do better. She doesn't deserve you."

Dan swallows and looking worried to what he's about to ask. "So you're not jealous?"

Serena's lips curve slightly and she raises her brows. "No…We're so over."

Dan chuckles and steers the conversation in another direction, feeling lighter than ever. He catches her up on his friends from NYU so she can become easily acquainted and by the time they've finished talking about his short-lived college years, the cab reaches the address. He gives the taxi driver money and enters the loft.

It's a nice three bedroom loft with high ceilings and modern looking furniture. The place is crowded, but not crowded in terms of space to maneuver. Of course the first thing he looks for is alcohol because that's the first rule of a party. It doesn't matter how old he gets. He notices everyone drinking from a wine glass and realizes it's more of a calm catching up sort of party where there's always one idiot who gets way to drunk while everyone's sober and looks like an idiot. He decides he's not going to be that guy tonight.

He looks around and the first thing he notices is how much fatter everyone's gotten from college. It becomes obvious most of the people at the party probably had office jobs and that's why they looked a little different.

"D Humphs!"

A startled Serena and him look around until they see a balding man wearing a sweater and sliding through the room while holding a wine glass.

He reaches Dan and they slap hands. Dan can barely recognize him with his thinning hair.

"Nice party," Dan says as he continues to study the party. He then feels Serena nudge his shoulder. "Oh! Right." Dan shakes his head at his stupidity and points at Serena. "This is Serena…. Serena, this is Travis."

Travis recognizes her and the whole party turns into D Humphs bringing over the girl from the Calvin Klein billboard.

As he catches up with his friends, he realizes everyone's pretty unsatisfied with their current jobs. People doing CPA and going into Auditing want to kill themselves already, the Investment Bankers are hopped up on Cocaine, the lawyers are having trouble finding work, but the medical students seem to be pleased. The only thing on their head is student loans, but most are confident they'll be able to pay it. Then there are the people who chose the uncommon major and they tend to be happy and money isn't important. He wonders if that'll last once they reach their thirties.

Everyone at the party thinks he's rich, but they don't realize he hasn't sold the rights to _Inside_ and he's still waiting on his cut on the sales of his current album.

_Oh well_

For once in his life, he didn't mind people thinking of him as a talented singer. He enjoys the praise and flirting but he doesn't show interest anyone particular because he's too emotionally invested someone else.

**XOXOXOXO**

The next day, after having breakfast, there's a knock on his front door to the loft. He opens the door to see Blair standing in front of him, holding a brown paper bag, and a file folder with the other hand.

Dan sniffs a little to take in the scent.

Dan arches a brow with a slight curve to the lips. "Do I smell pork and cheese?"

"Yes, and it was a horrifying experience Humphrey… I had it with me all the way on the drive up here."

She pushes past him and strides into the loft. When he turns around, she hands him the brown paper bag and he takes it from her.

His lips curl into a smile as he looks deeply into her eyes. "I'm sorry too."

He's rewarded with a small smile, but it's more genuine than most of the smile's she gives others. He breaks their gaze and puts the food on his countertop in the kitchen while Blair shrugs off her coat and places it on one of the bar stools.

"So what can I do for you," Dan asks, turning around and stepping towards his sofa chair to sit in front of Blair who is sitting on his couch.

She takes her eyes off her skirt to meet his as he sits on the sofa chair.

"I have an interview with W for an internship and they requested I write them an article on a topic of their choice."

"And you want my help." Dan fills in the blank.

She nods, biting her lip nervously, and pulls out her stapled together article while he leaves his seat to sit beside her on the couch.

He begins reading through her paper and realizes she's in way over her head. Her laziness in research is showing. She doesn't have the same wit and wasn't willing to take as much risk as she would have when she was younger. It's understandable. Blair has spent the past few years running a company with people working under her doing more of the hands on work. Her responsibility was to oversee things and she has very little writing experience.

"What," Blair asks at the sight of his lips curving

"Your grammar's rusty."

It earns him a glare and she swipes the article away from his hands. He sighs and places his hand on her thigh, leading her to soften a little.

"Do you want an honest critique or not?" Blair nods and gives him a vote of confidence to go on. He then turns his knees to face her and his hand remains on her lap as he keeps his eyes on her. "After doing what you've done, I just don't think you can go back to running out and getting coffee."

"No… I can and I will," Blair replies, giving him a determined look

"But you're going to be miserable doing it," Dan says softly. "I don't even understand why you're in school."

Her eyes drop. "I want to start over." She shrugs her shoulders

"I personally think you should work around your resume…Like running an Interior Design firm or creating your own Party Planning Company." He reaches for her cheek and meets her eyes. "It's too late…You have to think of your writing career as a sunk cost."

He's surprised when she leans her forehead against his and shuts her eyes, taking in a deep breath. Her hand slides on top of his. His eyes are fighting to stay open as her perfume begins to consume his nose.

"Okay… I'll think about it," she concedes, looking defeated

"And I'll help you either way."

She moves away and smiles, dimples showing, making his heart jump. He wants to lean in and press a soft kiss, but they're interrupted with a knock. He sighs, and gives her apologetic smile, leaving her to attend to the door. He's expecting Nate who is planning to come over and play FIFA.

Right on cue, Nate's standing on the other side of the door, grinning madly. As Nate enters, Blair receives the message and begins gathering her things, ignoring his protests to stay.

She reaches in her purse and pulls out a box of nicotine patches.

"You'll be needing these."

She hands him the box of patches while giving him a mischievous smile, hoping he gets the hint.

"Bye Humphrey."

She spins around and he watches her sway her hips out of the loft.

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**So how was it?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews, they were a joy to read. This story has finally come to it's conclusion so I hope it meets your expectations. **

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**Dan**

Dan spends the next few weeks hanging out with Nate, Jenny, Serena, and Blair. It's difficult to get Serena and Blair to become civil towards each other, but eventually, they run out of mean things to say about one another and have no choice but to be civil.

Blair's been hesitant with him and he can see the fear in her eyes, but with each day, it gets better. The first indication of progress was when she leaned her head against his shoulder at dinner. Everyone paused for moment, but then they went back to the discussion, pretending it wasn't a big deal.

It feels like there is so much smog between them. He slept with Serena and left her in France so he can understand why she's been cautious about letting him in again.

One night, he's lying on his bed, trying to get some sleep when he hears the front door to the loft open. He sits up and Blair enters his bedroom. Her trench coat falls on the floor to reveal a silk dark blue babydoll that's up to her hips. With her lips curved, she crawls on his bed as his heart rate spikes.

The lay face to face, side to side, on his bed and he takes her in. Their eyes just stay on each other's and his body shows no sign of moving. He has no idea why she's here. They haven't even kissed since they started talking again but he hopes the days of him counting can end tonight.

"Why don't you ever make a move?" Blair scoots closer to him to where he can feel her nose on the cusp of touching his. "That's always been your problem…You've always waited for me."

He brushes away the strand of hair from the corner of her mouth with his fingers

"It's because I've always wanted what you wanted," he tells her

"Well I suppose then you'll always be the boy who never gets the girl," Blair scoffs and then rolls over so that her back is facing him.

He gets the idea and wraps an around her waist to pull her close enough to where their hips meet. She doesn't protest, so he presses a soft kiss on her collarbone and he can feel her shiver from the touch of his lips.

"I haven't been with anyone since…" he trails off before pressing a soft kiss below her ear.

"Me either," Blair whispers, shutting her eyes.

He takes a risk and carefully runs his hands along her thighs, slowly inching closer to her warmth.

"I really missed you…Like I thought about you everyday sort of miss," he confesses with a smile before beginning to choose a spot on her neck to kiss earnestly.

"How unfortunate," Blair replies softly, but he looks past her words and notices she isn't breathing.

His fingers trace along the outside of her lace panties, feeling some dampness as he can hear her breathing getting heavier. He outlines her folds with his fingers, teasing her, which causes her breath to hitch.

From kissing her clenched jaw, he realizes she's had enough teasing and it leads him to roll off the bed to pull out a condom from his night stand.

He wakes up in the next day to a naked Blair spooning him, which should really be the other way around. He's not going to lie, it makes him wonder how Chuck Bass's day is going because his couldn't be any brighter. Once he carefully slides Blair's arm off of him, he pulls up some PJ's and grabs a white-T before heading into the kitchen to make breakfast.

He has a month before he has to leave for a 2 month tour. He's opening for Jack Johnson and it's considered a can't turn down type opportunity. Of course Blair isn't happy with the prospect of him touring for two months. He gets it. He's going to be getting flashed left and right by women as his van drives by the crowds awaiting the tour bus. She keeps complaining and he kisses her to shut her up. It does the trick for only an hour and she's back to being difficult about him leaving.

They spend his last month eating out, watching movies, and making love. Sometimes he goes out with Nate, but he always ends the night at Blair's. Chuck's unhappy about them dating. It sucks but the situation is difficult. Blair's the love of Chuck's life while Blair's his soulmate, but no one really knows who Blair's soul-mate is or who the love of her life is. Even after all the fighting and backstabbing, he actually thinks in some way that Serena's the love of Blair's life and likes to think he's Blair's soulmate, but who knows. He's just happy she's with him.

"2 months," Blair says sticking her hand out and holding her chin high and proud in the airport.

He rolls his eyes and pulls her into a kiss.

"2 long dreadful months," he tells her after pulling away from her lips, causing her to smile shyly. "Please don't watch the new Tarantino movie without me."

"I can't make any promises."

"Of course not," Dan says dryly

Her playful mood fades and she looks down, playing with her hands. "We're in a really good place right now."

"I know."

She looks up to meet his eyes. "Don't do something stupid."

In other words, she means _don't hurt me._

A smug grin appears on his lips. "I won't."

He sets foot in L.A. and meets with his manager. He has a week to spend in L.A. before the tour begins. His record label throw's him a party at some mansion on the hills and he notices 75 percent of the guests are women. He's beginning to understand why Blair was worried. He decides not to drink, thinking it would be best for him to be sober in the situation. It's crazy how many of the women had some sort of plastic surgery done. It's kind of just become the norm in L.A.

The next day, he wakes up alone in his hotel room and decides to call Olivia. They have coffee and he apologizes. They make up and hug before saying their goodbyes.

Later on, during midweek, He catches a flight to Hawaii and meets Jack Johnson. He learns quickly that all Jack does is smoke and surf. Jack's a very laid back guy who likes to go with the flow and there's something comforting about being around that type of personality.

Together, they head for Seattle, where the tour begins. Jack takes the tour bus while he gets driven around in a van with his band members. It took him a while to become accustomed to large crowds, but the tour in Europe really prepared him well for this tour.

He considers the atmosphere of the tour to be pretty crazy. Luckily, there aren't any hardcore drugs. One night, he enters his hotel room to find a naked fan lying on his bed, telling him to have his way with her. He calls security and they throw the psycho out.

As he travels around America, and writes his experiences in his moleskin, he notices how most of America is nothing like New York. It's mostly just greenery and there's just a lot of natural beauty.

He texts and calls Blair all the time. She seems to be doing fine and has already bought an office for her party planning company. Of course she's Blair Waldorf and was known for her parties, so she already has a waiting list of clients.

Right when the tour ends, he hears about Nate's bachelor party and heads for Las Vegas.

**Nate**

"LET'S GET FUCKED UP!"

Nate hears the DJ yell in the nightclub. Dan's back from his tour and Chuck's there because where else would he be. It's Friday and there in Vega's to celebrate his last weekend being a free man. Chuck's asking him which type of stripper he prefers, from Korean to Irish and he's beginning to second guess marriage.

The girls are in Vegas as well to celebrate Jenny's Bachelorette party. He's lucky to have such a laid back fiancé like Jenny. He can't imagine any other women letting Chuck Bass throw his bachelor party.

Chuck brings back a girl with him to the suite and instead of having to hear them have sex, Nate and Dan decide to take the elevator to Jenny's Suite. Dan thinks it's a dumb idea since their drunk, but he tells Dan he thinks too much. Mr. Goody Two-Shoe's over here always makes him look like the bad guy.

"I really think this is a bad idea," Dan tells him as they're walking towards Jenny's suite.

"It's not."

"She could be getting laid."

He punches Dan in the arm, causing Dan to grimace.

"It was well worth it," Dan says while rubbing his arm

They ring the bell while hearing laughter on the other end of the door, leading Dan and Nate to both raise their brows.

Nate turns his head to Dan. "Don't ditch me in there. I don't want to be left with the girls while you and Blair make up for lost time."

"Yeah…No problem," Dan answers with a wide grin, trying to maintain his balance

"You should really consider not drinking," Nate says shaking his head

To his surprise, Vanessa opens the door and her eyes light up at the sight of Dan. She yells his name in excitement and goes in for a hug while Nate enters to find a disinterested Blair sitting on the couch drinking a martini, but then her mood shifts the sight of Dan. Jenny and Serena are sitting at a circular table playing poker while Vanessa's hand is lying on the table by their side.

The girls are gossiping and talking about style and he's bored out of his mind. Even being drunk isn't making the situation any better. He glances across and watches Dan whispering into Blair's ear, earning blush from the cold brunette. The poetic bastard is on the cusp of breaking his promise.

"When did that happen," Vanessa asks looking over to Nate

"Don't know, but in some mysterious way, it works," he tells Vanessa while playing poker with the girls

"I think it's time to get some sleep," Blair says trying to bite back her smile

Dan stands up and Nate watches Blair stick her arms out as if she's requesting him to pick her up. Nate rolls his eyes to the honeymoon stage of their relationship as Dan carries Blair into the living room. Not to his surprise, Dan leaves him with the girls.

To his dismay, he wakes up alone in his hotel suite the next day because Jenny believes they shouldn't have sex until their married. He accepted because it would only be for a week, but now that he thinks about it, he can't remember the last time he didn't have sex within a week and he doesn't like it one bit.

Chuck goes all out for his bachelor's party. The suite's packed with friends flown in and strippers that look like models. The party's over the top. There are Leopards and Tigers in cages, a guy blowing out flames, and people doing a line of cocaine right out in the open. It's way too much and Nate decides to be sober so things don't get out of hand.

He's never seen Dan more wasted. He can't stop laughing at the sight of Dan dancing on the little marble top island in the kitchen. He makes a video with his cellphone and makes a note of it to post it on Gossip Girl the next morning.

All of the craziness makes him wonder what the girls are up to. He doesn't know if he's comfortable with the idea of Jenny being in the same situation he's in.

He takes a drunk Dan with him and they head downstairs to the girl's suite.

"You're supposed to be the responsible one," Nate says as they walk down the hall

"Well we're in Vegas baby," Dan replies with a drunken smile

He smacks the back of Dan's head and continues walking down the hall.

A cackling Vanessa opens the door for them and they spot a group of girls squealing and giggling. The party's not as over the top as his, but he does see a male stripper giving Jenny a lap dance and feels his stomach becoming unsettled.

He looks to his left then to his right and realizes he lost track of Dan. He searches through the suite and finds Dan in the kitchen eating from a penis shaped cake.

"Jesus… How much did you drink tonight?" Nate walks over and scans over the cake. "I can't believe they bought this."

"This has Blair written all over it," Dan tells him as wipes the cream of the cake off the corner of his lip with a paper towel. "You would think she's a prune, but then she just surprises you and does something deviant," Dan muses

They leave the kitchen and head back to the living room to where all the strippers are.

"We really shouldn't be here," Dan says

Nate glances over. "You're not jealous?"

Dan shrugs his shoulder. "I'm too drunk to care right now."

Yesterday, he was looking forward to his bachelor party, but today, he just wants the strippers to leave and enjoy Vegas with Jenny. He supposes this is what growing up's all about.

**Serena**

Serena can't stop laughing at the sight of Dan doing the riverdance in front of Blair. After the boys crashed the party, Jenny decided it was best to cancel it and have the strippers leave so the five of them could just enjoy each other's company. It's three days before the wedding and she thought it would be for the best since they never have free time at the same time.

"You're supposed to be giving me a lapdance Humphrey," Blair says, narrowing her eyes at him as she sits on a wooden chair, arms crossed, and biting back a smile in the middle of the living room with all the other on the couch watching.

"Why would you even learn to dance like that," Jenny asks in a fit of giggles

Dan stops dancing and looks over to Jenny. "We're half Irish."

Blair tugs on the bottom of Dan's shirt and looks up to meet his eyes. "Take it off."

It starts a chant of _take it off _and Serena joins them. In all honesty, she doesn't mind, she hasn't seen a shirtless Dan in a while. Dan is so wasted that he meets their demands and starts slowly taking his shirt off. He's trying to pull off a sexy dance routine, but it doesn't work and it only makes her want to laugh at his horrible moves, but she also finds something adorable about it.

After his shirt is off and they get a great view of a shirtless Dan, Vanessa whistles while Jenny grimaces. Right when Dan's hand reach the top button of his pants, Blair grabs a hold of his wrist to stop him and leans in to place a soft kiss below his bare belly button. Blair then tilts her chin up to meet his eyes and grins.

"Come on, let's go to my room," Blair tells him softly

A part of Serena feels bitter watching Blair give Dan that look. It's the same feeling she had when Dan first fell in love with Blair. Serena never lost a boy to anyone before and it stung at first, but now, she's learned to live with the feeling.

When Blair leads Dan to her room, she decides to leave her suite to be alone. She heads over to one of the bars in the hotel and orders her drink after she sits on a barstool.

After watching Dan and Blair, she realizes how long it's been since she's been in love with someone. Right when the bartender hands her a drink, she smells a hint of familiar cologne.

"Hey Beautiful."

**Blair**

Her eyes are closed and her cheek is pressed against Dan's as they dance together on the dance floor of Jenny's wedding. As they sway together, all she wants to do is feel the warmth of his skin and let's his cologne consume her nostrils. There are some moments with him where she wishes wouldn't end.

"I'm really happy," Blair tells him, eyes shut, continuing to sway. "I just thought you should know that."

She feels a smile creep up on his lips. "Duly noted."

"What about you," Blair asks softly

Dan presses a soft kiss below her ear, causing her to spine to tingle and then move his lips to her ear. "For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm where I belong."

Her fingers intertwine with his and she moves her lips over to his, not caring if other people are watching.

She pulls her lips away and meets his soft eyes.

"I felt like an outsider and it always bothered me," Dan adds and swallows. "But when I'm with you, none of that matters because I like who I am."

Her lips curve a tinge as she continues to meet his gaze, thinking of what lies ahead.


End file.
